


If You're Gonna Stay, Then Stay

by aliatori



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Boys Kissing, Companionable Snark, I needed soft Gladnoct with the badness, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-17
Updated: 2018-04-17
Packaged: 2019-04-24 10:03:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14353215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aliatori/pseuds/aliatori
Summary: Gladio tries to take a bath in peace, but Noctis has other plans.





	If You're Gonna Stay, Then Stay

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to [@rex_clypeus](https://twitter.com/rex_clypeus), whose lovely art got me back in my Gladnoct feels.

Praise the Six, Gladio thinks as he wades out into the lake, for the chance to scrub off all the sweat and funk from a full day trapped in the Regalia. A full day trapped in the _covered_ Regalia during humid thunderstorms, with no hotel or motel visits to speak of for nearly a week, _and_ after a hunt in said storm that had them all reeking like wet dog to boot.

He massages his fingers against his scalp a little harder at the memory alone.

If there was any bitching about another night of camping, he didn’t stick around the haven long enough to hear it; he’d jogged to the Vesperpool as soon as he’d dried the last dish from dinner. Besides, until they were able to collect the gil from today’s hunt, the alternative would be stuffing themselves into a dirty caravan that smelled like sour milk and garula farts. No fucking thanks. He’ll take a leisurely wash by moonlight in a gorgeous lake over a cramped caravan shower ten times out of ten.

Gladio tips his head back and gives a quiet sigh. If he’s honest, this moment alone provides as much relief as the cool water that laps at his waist.

“Gladio?” 

Gladio looks over his shoulder and sees Noct standing at the edge of the lake. He’s a bit difficult to make out, what with the all black clothes and the nighttime, but Gladio would recognize his silhouette—and his voice—anywhere. They’re as ingrained in his mind as the ink of his tattoo is in his skin.

“You need somethin’?” Gladio asks, raising his voice a hair to make sure Noct hears him.

“Dunno. Just making sure you were actually taking a bath, I guess. We’ll never be able to sleep if you stink us out of the tent,” Noct calls. 

“You ain’t had trouble sleeping a day in your life, Princess, and I doubt you’re gonna start tonight,” Gladio says. “And speaking as the person crammed in the backseat with you all day, your ass could use a wash too.” He wades deeper into the lake, silt squishing between his toes, figuring their conversation is at an end.

Gladio takes a breath and squats beneath the water to rise the lather from his hair. After several long moments of vigorous scrubbing, he rises up… only for his feet to be knocked out from under him by a vicious tackle. For a split second he worries it’s some kind of daemon attack. He cracks open his eyes during the tussle to confirm his _other_ suspicion. The quick flash of pale skin and familiar billow of dark hair belong to none other than one Noctis Lucis Caelum.

Little shit.

Noct’s all wiry muscle, even more so since they started this road trip. Combine the new muscle with the water and the warping and it makes him a slippery target. They crest over the waterline, gasping for air, and Noct barely has time to shoot Gladio a shit-eating grin before Gladio drags him back under.

Each time Gladio gets his hands on Noct, the firm heat of his skin contrasts with the refreshing chill of the lake. It also kindles a need that has gone ignored, in Gladio’s opinion, for far too damn long. It doesn’t help matters when Noct grabs for Gladio’s waist as they resurface. He misses, his palms sliding down Gladio’s outer thighs in a way that sends an electric tingle along Gladio’s spine.

When Noct reaches for him again, one hand ghosts along the curve of Gladio’s inner thigh, his eyes half-lidded and dark in the moonlight. Gladio’s cock gives a half-hearted twitch of interest as Noct’s fingertips graze its head.

Gladio, however, sees an opportunity for payback. He snorts out a laugh and shoves a wave of water straight at Noct’s head. Noct splutters and looks for all the world like a wet cat, indignant and bristling, black hair plastered to his head. 

“Pretty sure Iggy and Blondie can see us from up there,” Gladio says, jerking his head towards the glowing runes of the haven.

“Pretty sure I don’t care,” Noct says.

Gladio points to the plastic container of all-purpose body wash that rests on a nearby rock. “If you dragged yourself out here to be a brat, least you can do is wash up before we head back.”

Noct goes to retrieve the body wash, but not before giving Gladio an eye roll of epic proportions. The water level rests just above Gladio’s bellybutton, which means it hits Noct about mid-chest, slowing his progress.

“This whole bath thing would be easier if we were at a motel, y’know,” Noct says, squeezing an enormous pile of amber gel onto his palm before thrusting the bottle at Gladio expectantly. His nose crinkles as he shifts. “Ew. The bottom of this lake is super gross feeling.”

Gladio takes his turn rolling his eyes. “I ain’t holdin’ that shit for you. Go put it back.”

Noct holds his arm out over the water and drops the bottle. It lands with a splash before bobbing along the surface like one of Noct’s fishing lures. “Look, it’s fine.” He then dumps the whole pile of gel on his hair and starts his half-assed attempt at washing it.

Annoyance and affection surge within Gladio in equal parts as he watches Noct. He doesn’t realize he’s standing there watching, not at first, but he definitely is. Everything lately has been moving so fucking fast. The luxury to be still, to drink in all the tiny nuances of Noct that he’s missed: the endearing way he keeps shoving his hair out of his face, the bunch of muscle beneath his sculpted shoulders, the silvery sheen of the scar across his back, the shadowed blue of his eyes...

“You could come closer instead of staring like an idiot,” Noct says.

The tactlessness of his speech, Gladio adds to his mental list. He goes to Noct anyway.

“Call me an idiot again and see what happens,” Gladio replies, wrapping an arm around Noct’s waist.

“Nothing I can’t handle,” Noct says, the taunting tone only a little diminished by his sigh as Gladio pulls him close.

“Whatever you say, Princess.” At this distance, he can see the excess of lather from the previously abused shower gel. “Close your eyes for a sec? Gonna get all this crap out of your hair,” Gladio explains.

Noct’s eyelids flutter closed. The way he melts against Gladio’s body—and the trust implicit in the motion—makes Gladio’s heart lurch in his chest.

Gladio places his other arm along Noct’s back and dips him gently into the water, keeping his face just above the surface. Noct’s eyes stay closed as Gladio removes his arm from Noct’s waist and runs his fingers through his hair in careful passes, one after the other, until it feels mostly clean. It’s not as soft as it usually is, but it’s familiar all the same, and Gladio finds himself smiling.

“You should do this for me more often,” Noct murmurs.

“Don’t count on it,” Gladio says, but tenderness softens the edges of his words. Once he finishes, he urges Noct back to a standing position.

“Wanna head back?” Noct asks. His gaze lingers on Gladio for several charged moments. 

_Fuck_ , it’s been too long. Gladio wants him.

“Not yet.”

Their limbs are tangled once more as they move towards each other in tandem. Gladio takes hold of Noct’s thighs as he does a little hop in the water. Before long his legs are wrapped around Gladio’s waist and his hands are roving along the feathered planes of his back.

It’s Gladio who kisses Noct first, succumbing to an urgent, fierce need to taste him. It’s Noct who deepens the kiss, licking into Gladio’s mouth with an easy confidence, his tongue pushing past Gladio’s lips to slide against his own. Gladio groans low in his throat and tightens his grip on Noct, moving his hands to his ass and giving it a firm squeeze. Noct rolls his hips against Gladio—as much as he’s able to while pressed so close—and takes Gladio’s lower lip between his teeth, nibbling at it with teasing bites.

When Noct moves his mouth to Gladio’s throat and begins to suck on it hard enough to bruise, Gladio grunts and tips his head back to allow him better access. He can feel Noct’s dick growing stiff against his stomach, can feel the velvety length of him sliding back and forth against his abs as Noct bucks his hips, and Gladio’s own cock responds in kind.

“Noct…” Gladio says in a hot whisper, running one hand up Noct’s back while keeping hold of him with the other. Once Gladio reaches Noct’s face, he curls a finger beneath his chin and tips his face up so he can kiss him again. Gladio’s always surprised by how soft Noct’s lips are—how pliant, too, provided Noct’s in a willing mood—and he drinks in that softness now, exploring it with his tongue and teeth.

“Gladio, _please_ ,” Noct keens, and it’s in that moment that Gladio realizes how much Noct wants… no, needs… this too. He’s always been attuned to Noct’s needs, for better and for worse, including this one.

“There ain’t exactly any beds out here,” Gladio says, lowering his lips to the shell of Noct’s ear and tracing it with his tongue. He can feel the shudder that runs through Noct’s body against his own.

“Don’t care,” Noct says, threading his hands through Gladio’s hair and and panting as Gladio licks at his neck.

Gladio laughs, quiet but deep, and pulls Noct so close that there’s no space left between them. “Then hang on tight, ‘cause I see a patch of grass that’ll work. Just gonna grab our towels first.”

* * *

Much later in the evening, Gladio lies in the tent, exhausted in a pleasant, sated way.

Noct usually prefers to sleep on his own, but tonight he’s curled with Gladio in his sleeping bag, his back flush against Gladio’s chest. His deep, slow breaths are so regular that Gladio’s fairly sure he could tell time by them, if he felt like it.

More than the teasing, more than the sex, these are the moments Gladio treasures, these intimate moments where he knows Noct feels _safe_.

Gladio wants to keep him safe forever.

Once he would have said that it was his duty, and yeah, it still is; but somewhere along the way, love crept in, cementing (and complicating, and enriching) an already unshakable bond.

He leans down and buries his lips in Noct’s hair. The smell of orange and sandalwood overwhelms Noct’s natural scent, but it doesn’t stop Gladio from peppering the top of his head with kisses. He knows there’s no way Noct’s waking up before noon tomorrow anyway, so he brushes his lips against Noct’s cheek for good measure.

Satisfied, Gladio drapes an arm across Noct’s waist. The comforting warmth of Noct’s skin, the even sound of his breathing… it completes something inside Gladio, makes him feel whole in a way he can’t describe.

He selfishly indulges in the feeling for a minute… then two… then three... before finally closing his eyes and drifting to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> UPDATE: Rex_clypeus destroyed my heart and made gorgeous art for this fic, which you can find on their [Twitter](https://twitter.com/rex_clypeus/status/986595026305208322) and [Tumblr](https://rex-clypeus.tumblr.com/post/173062211431/king-in-yellow-sent-me-a-message-about-a-gladnoct) respectively. <3 
> 
> Thanks so much for reading! Comments and kudos are appreciated if you enjoyed. <3
> 
> You can catch me living the Gladiolus Amicitia appreciation life over on [Tumblr](http://aliatori.tumblr.com) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/AliatoriEra).


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